English Reading Practice

Human Right Number 1:
We Are All Born Free and Equal

1. Watch the video at the top of the page.

2. Read the story "We Are All Born Free and Equal" just below it.

3. Do the exercise at the bottom of the page.

Here is the We Are All Born Free & Equal video. You can watch it in your own language at www.youthforhumanrights.org. (Simply click the word "language" at the top of their homepage.) 



The Universal Declaration of Human Rights describes 30 basic rights that each person has, simply because he or she is human.

The first human right is the following (the simplified version):

"1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way."

Now read the short story about this important human right.

We Are All Born Free and Equal

David lives in a small town with his family. The town is pretty ordinary. Everyone goes to school, everyone goes to work at the town's factory, and no one asks any strange questions.

But David is different. He does not want to go to school. He wants to work and help his family. He does not want to work at the town's factory, though. He wants to open his own store. And he always asks these strange questions about "why do you do this?" and "why don't you do that?"

Everyone laughs at him and no one really takes him seriously. No one except his friend Orlando. Orlando looks at David as a person with his own thoughts and ideas. He treats him respectfully. Orlando likes David, even though they disagree.

Time goes by and David grows his business. His hard work and sharp mind pay off, and he now has a chain of stores. He is a wealthy man.

He rarely comes to visit his hometown. But when he does, there is one thing he always remembers. He always remembers his good friend Orlando, and their respectful friendship. And now that he can, he always helps him in times of need.

And now, practice:

Exercise 01

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